Al Qaeda’s North African branch has claimed a rocket attack on a gas plant in the southern Algerian desert near the town of In Salah. The rocket barrage, which was directed at a joint BP-Norwegian Statoil facility, somehow left the gas plant unharmed and no one was injured yesterday.

In a statement released online and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said the barrage was in response to Algeria’s “scandalous involvement with France in the war against the Muslims in northern Mali.” The jihadist group also said it intentionally tried to spare Muslim lives by not using “more powerful capabilities” in the attack, but that Muslims should stay away from such facilities in the future.

Additionally, AQIM said it sent a warning to Western oil companies operating in Algeria, stating they were targeting the facilities themselves and not their civilian workers. “We announce to all Western companies investing in shale gas that we will target you in a direct way, and we will use all our capabilities to deter you from these projects that are harmful to our environment and are rejected by our society,” AQIM said in the statement. But, AQIM noted that it will take the safety of Muslim employees and personnel into consideration. “If you want safety for your companies and personnel, then the matter is negotiable,” the statement read, “taking into consideration our dignity and the dignity of our Muslim people and their rights.”

AQIM said both BP and Statoil were warned of an impending barrage via phone calls before launching the rockets.